Professional Documents
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Audio card
User Manual
ii
E4552
Second Edition V1
October 2012
Copyright 2012 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any
means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written
permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (ASUS).
Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modifed or altered, unless
such repair, modifcation of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the
product is defaced or missing.
ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS
DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS,
LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE),
EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY
DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR
INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE,
AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO
RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS
MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.
Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or
copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identifcation or explanation and to the
owners beneft, without intent to infringe.
iii
Contents
Notices .......................................................................................................... v
Safety information ...................................................................................... vi
Trademarks .................................................................................................. vi
License ........................................................................................................ vi
About this guide ........................................................................................ vii
Chapter 1: Product introduction
Package contents ........................................................................................ 1
System requirements .................................................................................. 1
Specifcations summary ............................................................................. 2
Xonar Essence ST card layout ................................................................... 5
Chapter 2: Getting started
Before you proceed ..................................................................................... 7
Installing the audio card ............................................................................. 7
Connecting to a TV tuner card ................................................................... 8
Installing the audio card driver .................................................................. 9
Chapter 3: Connecting speakers and peripherals
Connecting digital speaker systems (Home Theater) ............................ 10
Connecting stereo headphones ................................................................11
Connecting 2/2.1 channel speakers ......................................................... 12
Connecting a microphone ........................................................................ 13
Connecting Line-In audio sources ........................................................... 14
Chapter 4: Xonar Audio Center
Xonar Audio Center ................................................................................... 15
Main Setting .................................................................................... 17
Mixer/Volume .................................................................................. 25
Effects ......................................................................................... 28
Karaoke ......................................................................................... 30
FlexBass ......................................................................................... 31
Smart Volume Normalization ........................................................... 32
DS3D GX and DSP Modes ............................................................. 34
VocalFX ......................................................................................... 36
iv
Appendix: Troubleshooting and FAQs
Troubleshooting ......................................................................................... 39
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ....................................................... 41
ASUS Contact information ........................................................................ 45
v
Notices
Federal Communications Commission Statement
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:
This device may not cause harmful interference.
This device must accept any interference received including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturers
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Canadian Department of Communications Statement
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions
from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the
Canadian Department of Communications.
This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Australia statement notice
From 1 January 2012, updated warranties apply to all ASUS products consistent
with the Australian Consumer Law. For the latest product warranty details, please
visit http://support.asus.com. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be
excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or
refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable
loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the
goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major
falure.
If you require assistance, please call ASUS Customer Service at 1300 2787 88 or
visit us at http://support.asus.com.
vi
This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical
and electronic equipment) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local
regulations for disposal of electronic products.
Safety information
Before installing the device on a motherboard, carefully read all the manuals
that came with the package.
To prevent electrical shock hazard or short circuits, switch off the power supply
before installing the device on a motherboard or connecting any signal cables
to the device.
If the device is broken, do not try to fx it by yourself. Contact a qualifed service
technician or your retailer.
Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected. If you
detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.
To avoid short circuit, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from
connectors, sockets and circuitry.
Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in
any area where it may be exposed to moisture.
Place the product on a stable surface.
If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualifed
service technician or your retailer.
Trademarks
Xonar and ASUS logo are trademarks of ASUSTek Computer Inc. Dolby
and Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Virtual Speaker, Dolby
Headphone are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. EAX and A3D are trademarks
of Creative Technology Ltd. Microsoft, DirectSound3D, Windows are trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation. Other company and product names may be trademarks of
the respective companies with which they are associated. ASIO is a trademark and
software of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH
License
Dolby Master Studio driver is manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories.
vii
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and confguring
the motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This guide contains the following parts:
Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the Xonar Essense ST.
Chapter 2: Getting Started
This chapter discusses how to install the audio card and its driver.
Chapter 3: Connecting speakers and peripherals
This chapter discusses how to connect the speakers and peripherals to the
audio card.
Chapter 4: Xonar Audio Center
This chapter provides information on the Xonar Audio Center, the graphical
user interface (GUI) of the audio card driver.
Where to fnd more information
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and
software updates.
1. ASUS websites
The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and
software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.
2. Optional documentation
Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty
fyers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not
part of the standard package.
Conventions used in this guide
To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following
symbols used throughout this manual.
DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying
to complete a task.
CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying
to complete a task.
IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task.
NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task.
1 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
Package contents
ASUS Xonar Essence ST PCI audio card
3.5mm-to-RCA cable x1
3.5mm-to-6.3mm adapter x1
S/PDIF TOSLINK optical adapter x1
Support CD
Audio Precision Test Report
System requirements
One PCI slot for the audio card
Microsoft
Windows
Pentium
4 1.4 GHz or AMD
Athlon 1400 CPU or faster CPU
256 MB (or above) DRAM system memory
60 MB available HDD space for driver installation package
CD-ROM drive (or DVD-ROM drive ) for software installation
High-quality headphones, powered analog speakers, or a Dolby Digital
decoder, to enjoy ultra-high fdelity sound
If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
Chapter 1
Product introduction
2 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
Specifcations summary
(continued on the next page)
ITEM DESCRIPTION
Audio Performance
Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-
Weighted):
124dB for Front-out
117dB for Headphone-out at 600ohms
Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-
Weighted):
118dB
Output Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise
at 1kHz (-3dB) :
0.0003% (-110dB) for Front-out
0.001% (-100dB) for Headphone-out
Input Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise
at 1kHz (-3dB) :
0.0002% (-113dB) for Line-In
Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-bit/
96kHz format):
<10Hz to 80KHz
Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage 2 Vrms (5.65 VP-p)
Headphone Impedance Optimized for 32~600ohms
Main Chipset
Audio Processor ASUS AV100 High-Defnition Sound Processor
(Maximum 192KHz/24bit)
24-bit D-A Converter of Digital Sources: Texas Instruments PCMI792A*1 for Front-Out
(127dB SNR, 192kHz/24bit)
High Fidelity Headphone Amplifer Texas Instruments 6120A2*1 (120dB SNR,
100dB THD+N @ Vcc+ 12V, R
L
=600ohms,
f =1kHz)
24-bit A-D Converter for Analog Inputs: Cirrus-Logic CS5381*1 (120dB SNR,
Maximum 192kHz/24bit)
Sample Rate and Resolution
Analog Playback Sample Rate and
Resolution
44.1K/48K/96K/192kHz @ 16/24bit
Analog Recording Sample Rate and
Resolution
44.1K/48K/96K/192kHz @ 16/24bit
S/PDIF Digital Output 44.1K/48K/96K/192kHz @ 16/24bit,
Dolby Digital
3 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
ITEM DESCRIPTION
I/O Ports
Analog Output Jack: RCA jack *2 (Front R/ Front L)
6.30mm jack *1 (Headphone out)
Analog Input Jack: 6.30mm jack *1 (Shared by Line-In/Mic-In)
Digital S/PDIF Output: High bandwidth Coaxial/TOSLINK combo port
supports 192kHz/24bit
Other line-level analog input (for TV
Tuner or CD-ROM):
Aux-In (4-pin header on the card)
Front Panel: Shared by Headphone out/ 2 channels out/
Microphone in
Driver Features
Operating System Windows
Headphone Dolby
Pro-Logic II Dolby
Vista / Windows
7 only)
This setting only appears in Windows
Vista / Windows
7. Windows
Vista /
Windows
7 delivers the audio channels to the audio driver according to this
setting, no matter what the original audio content is or how many channels they
have. Hence, you need to set this in accordance with your audio content before
audio playback. This setting is synchronized with Windows
Vista/7s system
speaker confguration and changing this setting during playback stops the audio
playback program. You may have to restart the program after changing this setting.
1
1
Audio Channels
Recommended settings:
MP3, WMA, AAC, CD, VCD, 2D games => 2 channels
DVD-Video with Dolby Digtial or DTS 5.1 => 6 channels
DVD-Video with Dolby Digtial EX or DTS ES => 8 channels
3D games => 8 channels
Close all running applications before changing this setting.
23 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter
The 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter has the following major features:
Expanding/upmixing audio to 7.1-channel surround sound
Virtualizing 7.1 surround sound over any set of speakers
Shiftable virtual speaker positioning allows you to adjust the best sound feld
easily without moving physical speakers and wires
4
1
2 3 5 6 7 8
1
Shifter enable/disable
Tick this checkbox to enable the 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter. Click the textbar to
switch the right window to the Speaker Shifter page for manual adjustments.
Settings will be retained even when a different Analog Output is selected.
2
Drag speaker or listener
You can drag each speaker or listener to a different position virtually using only
your mouse. The Xonar Xense card will process the sound and reposition the
virtual speakers real-time. The Subwoofer has no directional sounds, and hence
can be moved only closer to or further away from the listener.
3
Reset
Reset all Speaker Shifter settings to the default settings.
4
Increase/decrease volume
Click + to increase volume (move speakers closer); click to decrease volume
(move speakers further away)
5
Counterclockwise
Click to rotate all speakers, except Subwoofer, counterclockwise
24 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
Dolby Pro-Logic IIx
Dolby Pro-Logic IIx is a 7.1 surround upmixing technology and is widely used
in home theater systems, TVs, game consoles, and car audio systems. It can
expand stereo audio, such as MP3, CD, and TV programs into immersive 5.1 or
7.1-channel surround.
1
2 3 4
1
Dolby Pro-Logic IIx enable/disable
Tick this checkbox to enable Dolby Pro-Logic IIx. Click the textbar to switch the
right window to the Pro-Logic IIx page for manual adjustments.
2
Center Width
This parameter is used to set the spread of the center, mainly for the vocal signals
of songs and music. Drag the scroll bar to the left to centralize the vocal signal.
Drag to the right side to widen the vocal sound range.
3
Reset
Reset all settings to the default settings.
4
Dimension
The dimension parameter fades sounds to the front or rear of the listener.
6
Clockwise
Click to rotate all speakers, except Subwoofer, clockwise.
7
Manual Rotation
Manually drag and rotate all speakers, except Subwoofer.
8
Manual Drag Mode
This is the default mode that allows you to manually drag each speaker or the
listener with your mouse.
25 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
Dolby Headphone
Dolby Headphone creates a stunning multi-channel surround experience over
ordinary stereo headphones for playing 3D games, watching 5.1 DVD movies, and
listening to music. Dolby Headphone produces surround sound cues so realistic
that you will believe you are listening over speakers in a well-controlled studio.
Dolby Headphone can also improve listening comfort and reduce "listener fatigue"
from long listening over headphones.
1
2 3 4
1
Dolby Headphone enable/disable
Tick this checkbox to enable Dolby Headphone. Click the textbar to switch the
right window to Dolby Headphone page for manual adjusting.
7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter and Dolby Pro-Logic IIx can be selected only
when Dolby Headphone is enabled.
2
DH1
Dolby Headphone (DH) provides three room flters that may be used with any type
of audio. They differ in the sense of the spatial dimension they impart.
DH1Reference Room: Small, acoustically damped room.
3
DH2
DH2Livelier Room: More acoustically live than DH1
4
DH3
DH3Larger Room: Larger room than DH1; more distant and diffused effect.
26 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
Dolby Virtual Speaker
Dolby Virtual Speaker technology simulates a 5.1-speaker surround sound
listening environment from as few as two speakers. Dolby Virtual Speaker also
creates a wider two-channel environment during playback of stereo CDs and MP3
content, and when combined with Dolby Pro Logic
XP
DS3D GX 2.0 not only revives EAX and DirectSound HW effects, but also allows
you to run EAX HD 5.0 games on both Windows
XP and Vista. It provides
the best compatibility with existing DirectX games. GX2.0 also adds innovative
VocalFX voice effects for existing EAX games or VOIP applications.
Besides the abundant sound effects described above, the Xonar Essence ST also
provides quick Digital Sound Processing modes that are confgured for typical
applications including Music, Movies, and Games over different output speaker
types. In addition, Xonar Essence ST also offers a Hi-Fi mode for hi-fdelity
playback without any effect processing to keep the original audio fdelity. Every
time you turn on Hi-Fi mode, Xonar HDAV 1 clears all sound effects. Use Hi-Fi
mode for audio quality tests (using RMAA software or another machine-based
measurement). Use the DSP mode button as the quick setup if you do not wish to
know the details of the effect setup.
No sound effects are applied to high-defnition 96KHz/192KHz content.
37 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
3
2
1
4
5
1
GX Mode
DirectSound 3D Game Extensions mode to support EAX and DirectSound 3D
Hardware extensions for lots of DirectX/DirectSound3D games on Windows
Vista.
2
Hi-Fi Mode
This mode is set for Hi-Fidelity playback, where all effects are cleared to keep the
original digital data and analog output quality as high as possible.
3
Music Mode
This mode is set for Music playback.
4
Movie Mode
This mode is set for DVD Movie playback.
5
Game Mode
This mode is set for Games.
38 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
VocalFX
VocalFX is an innovative voice processing technology that can immerse your
voice in a realistic game landscape (VoiceEX) or imitate background scenes while
chatting online (ChatEX). It also allows you to change your voice pitch to disguise
who you are (Magic Voice).
1
2
3 4 5
1
VoiceEX
It produces realistic and dynamic environmental reverberation for your voice in 3D
gaming communication.
2
Local VoiceEX
It produces realistic and dynamic environmental reverberation for your voice in 3D
gaming communication.
You can hear your voice from the speakers.
3
ChatEX
It emulates different background environment effects while you chat online.
4
Magic Voice
Changes your voice pitch to different types for disguising your real voice or just for
fun while chatting online.
5
App List
You can add a VOIP application on the VOIP application List.
39 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
For 3D Games
1. Tick the VoiceEX and Local VoiceEX checkboxes.
2. Ensure that you and your team member can talk to each other in the game.
For VOIP
1. Click App List.
2. If you do not see your VOIP application in the list, click Add.
Ensure that you have installed the latest version of Skype or MSN Messenger.
3. Navigate to the application then click Open.
40 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
4. Your VOIP application will be added to the list.
5. Tick the ChatEX and Magic Voice checkboxes to chat online.
When you select any of the VocalFX functions, this message appears:
This message indicates that the recording device is set to microphone. Ensure
that the GX function is enabled. Click OK to accept, or Cancel if you want to
enable it later. Tick the Dont remind me again checkbox if you do not want to
see this message again.
41 ASUS Xonar Essence ST
Troubleshooting
I cannot install the audio card driver on my computer.
Ensure that you have properly plugged the audio card in the PCI slot on
your motherboard.
Check that the Windows
Vista?
Yes, the Xonar Essence ST driver package supports Windows
Vista?
Yes, Xonar Essence ST supports EAX2.0 on both Windows